When Jonah’s dressed in his Bluey pajamas and ready to be tucked into bed, he crawls into Carlos’s lap and demands a reading of The Monster at the End of This Book, complete with all the goofy voices that Jonah and TK have decided Carlos does best.
He makes a game of trying to convince Jonah not to turn the pages, that the closer they get to the end, the closer they get to the monster. Jonah laughs, reaching for the pages and turning them quickly, cackling when Carlos amps up his animated reading, pretending to get more and more panicked about the monster at the end of the book.
He tickles Jonah’s tummy when they get to the final page, eliciting a happy, high-pitched squeal.
“What a brave boy,” he praises. “You weren’t afraid of the monster.”
“He’s a FRIENDLY MONSTER, Papa!”
“You’re right, mijo,” he agrees, kissing Jonah’s head. “It’s just lovable, furry old Grover. Who could be scared of him?”
He allows himself a moment to soak in this new life of his, in his cozy yet slightly impractical home, surrounded by his beautiful family.
He loves the way he feels with Jonah curled in his lap, giggling at his words and clutching at his shirt with a tiny fist. Loves the way Jonah loudly demands more books while TK crowds up next to them on the couch cushion, lightly teasing him and joining in with Jonah’s demands. And he thinks, maybe, he hasn’t fucked up this whole dad thing as much as he feared.
